By Ashley Erika O. Jose, Reporter
THE Philippine Chamber of Telecommunications Operators (PCTO) is seeking a thorough review of the Konektadong Pinoy bill, warning that some provisions could undermine regulatory oversight and pose risks to national security and fair competition.
“We support providing broader connectivity to all Filipinos. However, the bill lowers the bar for accountability and opens the country to risks tied to unregulated infrastructure and potential foreign control,” PCTO President and Globe Telecom, Inc. General Counsel Froilan M. Castelo said in a media release on Thursday.
The bill is now up for President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s signature, after senators and congressmen separately ratified the priority measure through voice votes during their respective plenary sessions on Monday.
While the PCTO supports the measure’s objective of expanding internet access across the country, it warned that the version passed by the bicameral conference committee could create national vulnerabilities and weaken regulatory oversight.
“PCTO urges the administration to closely review the measure before signing and to ensure that its implementing rules establish clear, enforceable guardrails — ones that promote real digital inclusion, ensure national security, and preserve a fair and future-ready industry,” the group said.
Under the bicameral version of the bill, the State will adopt an open-access policy to create a more accessible and competitive environment for all qualified participants across the entire data transmission network, while encouraging investments in digital infrastructure to support reliable and affordable data services.
“We welcome increased competition, but the competition must be fair and sustainable. We must avoid competition that will be ruined and will just harm our subscribers. There are features in the Konektadong Pinoy that will be exploited and could result in ruinous competition,” PLDT Inc. Director, Corporate Secretary, and Senior Legal Advisor to the Chairman Marilyn A. Victorio-Aquino said during the company’s annual stockholders’ meeting.
Under the measure, new data transmission entrants are no longer required to secure a legislative franchise or a certificate of public convenience and necessity, which the PCTO described as the key filter historically used to assess legal, financial, technical, and cybersecurity readiness.
Ms. Victorio-Aquino said that telecommunications (telco) companies such as PLDT are obligated to build infrastructure to support and improve services.
“There is no such obligation imposed on new entrants involved in data transmission. They will come in, and the law opens all our assets to them. Where is the symmetry there? What will it take for us to continue building if the infrastructure we build will just be opened to these players?” she said.
Mr. Castelo said the removal of such requirements raises both national security and fairness concerns.
“This creates a two-tier system. Existing players remain subject to full regulation, while new entrants operate with fewer checks,” he said.
“You cannot claim to be technology-neutral and at the same time give one technology a free pass. The provision requiring satellite services to apply for NTC [National Telecommunications Commission] spectrum use was removed in the final version. That opens a dangerous backdoor,” Mr. Castelo said.
Under the bill, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is mandated to formulate policies that promote an open-access approach and foster healthy competition among internet service providers.
The DICT did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“The Konektadong Pinoy bill is the courageous legal hammer that will smash the monopoly of big telcos which have lamentably neglected the full development of the Philippines’ telecoms infrastructure for several decades,” Samuel V. Jacoba, founding president of the National Association of Data Protection Officers, said via Viber.
The removal of the required congressional franchise for players, mandatory resource sharing among operators, and democratization of the telecommunications’ spectrum will bring a positive outcome for the country in the long run, he said.
Mr. Jacoba also said the cyber threats that may arise from this measure can be mitigated by proactive implementing rules and regulations and constant monitoring by the regulators.
“Bottomline, the whole country will benefit from this shift in the status quo in the telco industry. The country cannot afford to wait for its digital infrastructure, which should’ve been world class a long time ago,” he added.
“As for the concerns raised by telcos regarding national security and connectivity expansion, we believe these should not be used as smokescreens to resist greater public investment and accountability in the sector,” Ronald B. Gustilo, national campaigner for Digital Pinoys group, said in a Viber message.
The issues raised by the telecommunications operators were valid but there are ways to address them, Mr. Gustilo said, adding that the government must ensure proper procurement and cybersecurity protocols are enforced, while connectivity expansion should not be monopolized by a few major players.
“The bill can serve as a catalyst for fairer competition by supporting smaller and community-based internet service providers. We must keep in mind that the digital divide is also a threat to national security. By investing in government-led infrastructure, we are not only empowering citizens but also safeguarding our digital sovereignty,” he said.
The bill, which is among the administration’s priority measures, aims to increase internet access by relaxing regulations and allowing the entry of more players into the data transmission industry.
The final version exempts international gateway facilities, cable landing stations, and satellite service providers from legislative franchise requirements. This means any company may build and operate such facilities without going through the safeguards historically used to ensure national security.
The measure also directs the State to pursue plans that incentivize participants in the data transmission industry to invest in, adopt, roll out, implement, establish, own, maintain, operate, or utilize new and next-generation technologies, with priority given to unserved or underserved areas.
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